Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pohang and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Pohang: $1,362 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $17,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

66

Cost of Living Index in Pohang
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Pohang Living Index
138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

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Pohang

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,362

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Pohang and in Melbourne

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Pohang and in Melbourne actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,362 in Pohang versus $2,821 in Melbourne.

Pohang $1,362
Melbourne $2,821

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,682 in Pohang versus $4,235 in Melbourne.

Pohang $1,682
Melbourne $4,235

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,002 in Pohang versus $5,650 in Melbourne.

Pohang $2,002
Melbourne $5,650

Living in Pohang costs roughly 52% less than in Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Pohang 1% above, Melbourne 109% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.91 ₩7,857

$17.43 A$25.08

-66.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.55 ₩30.0K

$84.6 A$122

-73.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.52 ₩8,675

$12.46 A$17.92

-47.67%

Cappuccino

$3.02 ₩4,012

$4.11 A$5.91

-26.52%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 ₩1,967

$3.06 A$4.40

-51.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₩710

$2.52 A$3.62

-78.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.64 ₩4,836

$9.80 A$14.10

-62.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.81 ₩5,062

$8.57 A$12.33

-55.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.36 ₩3,142

$1.48 A$2.14

59.46%

White Bread (500g)

$3.25 ₩4,319

$2.94 A$4.23

10.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.46 ₩1,940

$2.66 A$3.82

-45.11%

Eggs

$2.73 ₩3,634

$5.54 A$7.97

-50.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.95 ₩14.6K

$10.51 A$15.13

4.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.36 ₩13.8K

$9.65 A$13.89

7.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$24.86 ₩33.1K

$15.22 A$21.91

63.34%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 ₩2,929

$3.99 A$5.75

-44.86%

Banana (1kg)

$3.61 ₩4,798

$3.02 A$4.34

19.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.91 ₩10.5K

$3.10 A$4.46

155.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.92 ₩3,879

$4.82 A$6.93

-39.42%

Potato (1kg)

$5.00 ₩6,653

$3.03 A$4.36

65.02%

Onion (1kg)

$3.41 ₩4,532

$2.44 A$3.52

39.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.27 ₩3,015

$2.46 A$3.54

-7.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 ₩1,785

$1.63 A$2.34

-17.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.31 ₩4,407

$44.07 A$63.4

-92.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.49 ₩8,631

$12.70 A$18.28

-48.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.53 ₩2,031

$5.54 A$7.97

-72.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.49 ₩4,638

$5.23 A$7.52

-33.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.38

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 ₩4,388

$4.51 A$6.50

-26.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.58 ₩766

$1.36 A$1.96

-57.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.64 ₩22.1K

$30.45 A$43.81

-45.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 ₩1,647

$1.47 A$2.12

-15.65%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$29.5K ₩39.2M

$29.0K A$41.7K

1.64%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$28.4K ₩37.8M

$26.5K A$38.1K

7.27%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$102 ₩136.1K

$234 A$336

-56.20%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$36.26 ₩48.2K

$27.93 A$40.19

29.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.84 ₩35.7K

$55.7 A$80.2

-51.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.38 ₩40.4K

$49.40 A$71.1

-38.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.43 ₩9,884

$21.48 A$30.91

-65.41%

Cinema Ticket

$11.38 ₩15.1K

$15.09 A$21.72

-24.59%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$637 ₩847.5K

$2,371 A$3,412

-73.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.8K ₩29.0M

$30.2K A$43.5K

-27.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$105 ₩139.2K

$80.0 A$115

30.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$64.3 ₩85.5K

$50.7 A$73.0

26.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.5 ₩122.9K

$121 A$174

-23.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 ₩147.9K

$130 A$188

-14.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$447 ₩594.3K

$1,390 A$2,000

-67.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,990 ₩4.0M

$6,445 A$9,274

-53.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,240 ₩3.0M

$4,383 A$6,307

-48.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.22

5.9

-28.47%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Pohang: October 11, 2026

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Pohang

$447 32.8%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3% 211% $943

Groceries & Markets

Pohang

$386 28.3%

Melbourne

$384 13.6% 0.4% $1.6

Clothing & Footwear

Pohang

$168 12.3%

Melbourne

$172 6.1% 2.4% $4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pohang

$165 12.2%

Melbourne

$317 11.3% 91.8% $152

Eating Out

Pohang

$137 10.1%

Melbourne

$315 11.2% 130% $178

Sport & Entertainment

Pohang

$53 3.9%

Melbourne

$80 2.8% 49.8% $26

Getting Around

Pohang

$6.2 * 0.5%

Melbourne

$164 5.8% 2550% $158

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Melbourne pays 96% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $23.00 in Pohang vs $85.0 in Melbourne. Groceries flip the comparison at $386 vs $384, with Melbourne cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Pohang

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

03:53 3:53 AM

05:53 5:53 AM

2 h ahead of Pohang

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

514,869

5,031,195

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD, EUR to KRW – South Korean Won Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇷 South Korean Won (₩)

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1,330 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD). 1 EUR = 1,495 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

USD to KRW in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Pohang Melbourne 8,370 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Pohang
Melbourne

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Pohang vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Pohang and Melbourne differ by about 107% in total monthly costs ($1,362 vs $2,821 including rent). Pohang is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 96% lower in Melbourne. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Shoppers in Melbourne pay roughly 0% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $1,362 per month in Pohang versus $2,821 in Melbourne – a 107% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,362 in Pohang versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Pohang but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Pohang the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Pohang and Melbourne are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Pohang gentler on the wallet – expenses run 107% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.